The field of the invention relates generally to a stand-up bag for pourable goods and, more particularly, to a stand-up bag made from a film having a front wall, a back wall, a base fold, a bag top, and a closure device attached proximate the bag top. The field of the invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a stand-up bag.
At least some known stand-up bags are described in European Patent Application Nos. EP 0 772 554 B1, EP 1 233 915 B1, and EP 1 737 752 B1. The stand-up bags described in these references have a pour spout with a screw-on closure which is centrally attached at the upper edge of the stand-up bag, between the front wall and a flap of a top fold provided at the bag top. When filled, the stand-up bags in these references have a bulging, approximately hexagonal shape, and may be gripped by the hand of a user and then handled as one would handle a beverage can or beverage bottle. Accordingly, to allow the stand-up bag to be gripped and thus easily handled, at least some known stand-up bags cannot exceed a certain size.
German Patent Application No. DE 39 25 981 A1 describes a known stand-up bag, which in its top region has a beak-shaped projection as a spout which may be torn open, and a handle. The handle is situated facing a front wall of the bag, while the spout adjoins an upper region of the back wall. After the spout is opened, the bag may be held by the handle and emptied by lifting the underside of the bag. The bag must be handled with both hands, since the spout, as a result of its central location above the back wall, has only limited stability. Accordingly, is difficult to control pouring of the packaged product, and in particular, precisely pouring the product into a filling opening or the like.
In light of this background, the object of the invention is to provide a stand-up bag for pourable goods that has a high capacity and which may be easily and precisely handled. A further aim is to provide a method for manufacturing such a stand-up bag.